Format USB Stick in Arch

To securely wipe all data in USB stick, see here

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Erase the partition table with wipefs

sudo wipefs -a /dev/sdX

If you get a "Resource Busy" error, add the force option -f

See additional guidance on wipefs here

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Then run the following:

sudo fdisk /dev/sdX

Once in the fdisk menu:

• Create a partition table. In most cases, we will use GPT parition table. Use DOS partition table only if we need to use this USB drive in older systems.
• Create a new partition. The default 'Linux filesystem' type partition will do.

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Format Partition

sudo mkfs.vfat /dev/sdXn -n VOLUME_NAME

# Take note to include the parition number, e.g. /dev/sdb1

This last step will format the partition by creating a FAT filesystem. The -n option allows you to set the volume label and is optional.